The title of homily is, “Ascension: Good, Better, Best.”
This Sunday in this diocese we celebrate the feast of the
Ascension - the leaving of Jesus - the heading of Jesus into eternity - post
resurrection - as pictured in the mural painting up on the left of our front
wall here at St. Mary's.
*
The Early
Church had begun - with
Christ in a new and different dimension - as well as his disciples - beginning
to see themselves in a new way - now in newer leadership roles - adjusting -
figuring what’s next.
When I read today’s readings, the theme that hits me, is
adulthood. We’re now on our own. Jesus says, “Goodbye!”
It’s like graduation - now get moving.
He sends his disciples forth. He’s tooled them. He’s taught
them. He’s educated them. He trained them. Now go into the whole world and
bring my Good News to all peoples! [Cf. Ephesians 4: 1-13]
TWO OF MY FAVORITE EXAMPLES
I have two favorite examples that get into what’s going on
here. I have used both of them many times not only with high school kids, but
also with little kids as well - and I think all get the message.
The first is the story of the mama bear and the two baby
bears. I saw this on TV somewhere along the line. It might have been on
Discovery Channel or Animal Kingdom.
The opening scene shows Mama Bear leading her two little
ones out of a cave or den. It’s time. She pushes them forward for a good
distance. They come to a tree - which she makes them climb up. As they are
clawing their way up the tree, she starts to walk away. They immediately start
downwards. She comes running back at them and growls. They start climbing the
tree again. This time they get a bit higher. Not seeing mama they come down
again. Mama Bear who was hiding behind a bog rock comes running back towards
them again and growls. Once more they climb the tree - this time higher. Not
spotting mama they start down again. Watching all this from a distance mama growls
again - while shaking her paws at them, “Get back up that tree!”
And back climb that tree. The screen gets dark. Mama Bear
disappears for good.
Obviously, I couldn’t tell this story on Mother’s Day.
Next, the TV screen, which was dark, becomes light.
It’s morning. It’s sunrise. Down from the tree come the 2 little cubs and head
for where they came from - but mama’s gone. End of the movie.
The second story - which is the same story. Once more I love
to tell this story to kids and young people. It’s a story that happened to me
on the N subway train - in New York.
My trip was to go from 59th Street
Station in Brooklyn to 42 Street Station in Manhattan. That’s 6 or 7 stops. Sometimes the
N train stops at DeKalb Avenue.
It’s around 11 AM. I walk to the subway and get on the N
Train when it comes into the station. It’s not crowded. I take a seat.
At 36th Street,
the next stop after 59th Street,
in comes a father and a son - a little boy. At first the kid is sitting
on his father’s lap - but he wants down. I’m watching this - just sitting
across from the two of them. The little boy wants to stand. His father
puts him down on his own two feet. He’s knee high to his father. The train is
moving and shaking. He frees himself from his father’s grip. He’s laughing,
smiling, shaking with the roaring train - standing on his own two feet -
his hands like Rocky on the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum
steps in Rocky #1.
Then the train starts to brake and slow down - because the
next stop is almost here: Pacific
Street. To prevent himself from falling - he runs
back to the safety of his father’s knee. The train stops. He relaxes. By now
different people are observing these two - a father and the son. It’s a story
as old as humankind.
The train starts moving again. He shakes himself free of his
father and goes out into the freedom of standing on his own two feet in the
center of the train. Once more, as the train brakes and shakes - as we are
coming into Canal Street Station, he runs back to his father. He does this all
the way to the 42 Street Station where I got off.
As I walked away, I wondered if this was a parable of
life.
Is this the human hope for independence - but
sometimes I’m scared?
Dependence. Independence.
Dependence. Independence.
Others add interdependence - a combination of both.
Is this the story of marriage, family, relationships, work,
life?
Life: birth, dependence, independence, interdependence,
dependence - no wonder they call them "Depends" …. till death do
we part.
TODAY’S FIRST READING
Today’s first reading is from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. It’s
addressed to Theophilus - which most say is to us - that is, if want to
be a lover (PHILOS) - of God (THEOS).
It begins with the comment that Jesus gave instructions
through the Holy Spirit - gave proofs that he was alive after his sufferings
and death. Then he leaves them - pictured as going up to the heavens.
Then today’s first reading ends: “Why are you standing there looking at the
sky?”
Translation: get moving - like the two bears, you’re now on
your own. Like the little kid on the train, don’t we all have the desire for
freedom - as we move along on the train of life - station to station?
Ascension: Good, Better, Best
The title of my homily is: "Ascension: Good, Better,
Best."
Isn't that the journey of life: to become good, to become
better, to reach our best?
Wouldn’t that be a good morning prayer? “Lord, today,
help me to do good. Lord, help me to be better. Better, Lord, today, help me to
do my best.”
Wouldn’t that be a good evening prayer? “Lord, looking
back on today I thank You for the good I did - for the better I did - for the
best I did, today.”
In fact, isn’t it a good night prayer, to pick out the best
thing we did that day - and go to sleep saying, “Thank You Lord, help me to do
some good again tomorrow - to have a better tomorrow - to do the best I can do
tomorrow - at least in one thing.”
Good, better, best. That’s very simple. It’s not too complicated.
But we also know we can do: bad, worse, worst.
CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is realistic. Sometimes we do our worst. The
Prodigal Son or Daughter in us - sometimes messes up. We want independence and
we blow it - and the message of that story is: “We can come crawling back to
the Father’s embrace.”
Christianity is also unrealistic. The best we can do is to
lay down our lives for our family and for friends. “Greater love than this no
one has, but to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jesus did just that! He gave his life for us. It’s the Mass. It’s this
sacrifice. It’s this call to give of self everyday. Isn’t that’s when we are at
our very best.
Life!
CONCLUSION: WHAT ARE OUR ROCK SOLD FOUNDATIONS?
The little kid on the subway train had his dad to run back to. The 2 little
bears had what they were trained by their mama to go by. What are our rock
solid foundations to help us move into our future - with security and strength?
One last example.
As you might know, Broadway now has another revision
of Arthur Miller’s Play, Death of a Salesman. Years ago I saw it with Dustin
Hoffman in the lead. I also saw it in college and I saw it in a movie. Each
time it moved me big time.
As you know the main character in the play, Willy Loman, a
salesman, finds himself without any security. His whole world has caved in on
him. Maybe he felt like those two little bears - without a mama. Maybe he felt
like that little kid on the train - but there was no daddy to run to and lean
on.
What made me think of this was an article I noticed about
the play in yesterday’s New York Times. The question was asked whether Arthur
Miller was picturing Willy Loman as Jewish. Then like so many people, he had
distanced himself - as second generation - from his religious roots and
cultural background - into becoming simply an American. Then when he was
getting older - then when his family had changed - then when he had lost his
job - he had nothing to run back to.
The paper quotes Mike Nichols - who is directing the new
revival - in an interview this month, “Willy has no forebears. He’s not from
any country. He has no holidays of any religion. So you have to assume Miller’s
making a point. We who are struggling to sell enough have to drop everything —
religion, nationality, family. There is nothing except, as Willy puts it, being
known and being well-liked.”
That last sentence grabbed me: is that the goal of life - to
be known and to be well-liked?
For some, maybe yes. How about us? Where do we want to
ascend to? What’s good, better, best for us?
Aren’t we here, because we know there’s more?
There is the good, the better, and the best. We can keep on ascending to
higher and higher values. Don’t we come here to Church to hear just what the
disciples and apostles heard - before they were sent into the world with Good
News and to make our world good, better and best? Don’t we then leave
church not just to go in peace, but to keep growing - keep going forth to avoid
doing bad, worse or worst, but to do good, to do better, to do our best - each
day. Amen.
